“The project is where we want it to be. It is on programme. There is a whole load of activity taking place, so it is really in its final phases. We are finishing trialling it and staff have to be familiar with it,” Mr McCrorie said. The terminal will not be opened this year, according to Mr McCrorie.
“We will open it when we think it is the right time to open it and I must stress that — it is not necessarily about when it will be ready for opening,” he said, declining to provide a date. “The biggest factor for us is reputation. Everybody has been waiting for this facility to open, so we want to make sure that we do so in a timely manner and in the correct fashion.”
The right time will depend on travel demand, measures to invest in the latest technology, the addition of new service initiatives, the construction schedule, operational readiness, staff familiarisation, training, trialling, as well as initiatives to guarantee success on every transition and integration of systems, he said.